Better Than Anyone
by crimsonandcloveroverandover
Summary: A Season-Seven Lois and Clark "Missing-Moment" - Post 'Persona'...


Clark Kent padded quietly up _The Talon's_ staircase towards the small apartment, located above Smallville's popular coffee-shop. It had been a rough week. The Phantom, Bizarro was gone. Finally. And Clark had spent the better part of the week, cleaning up the destruction that he had left behind. He and Lana hadn't spoken. They were living in awkward, suffocating silence. The nothingness had been slowly swallowing them whole. The Farm, which had always been his retreat, his place in the world, his home – had become a place to avoid. He growled in annoyance. Lana had, had no idea that Bizarro – _wasn't_ Clark. She'd lived with him for an entire month. She'd told him that she'd never been happier, never been more in love… She'd thought that he was Clark. He wasn't. Chloe hadn't even been able to tell the difference between himself and Bizarro at first. The entire situation made Clark's head hurt.

He stood in front of the pale blue door to Lois' apartment. _Lois_. The thought of seeing Lois after weeks of separation was oddly relieving and comforting. He couldn't help the grin that spread across his face at the thought of spending the day hanging out with her. He'd missed her. Clark raised his knuckles to knock soundly on the door. He squared his shoulders and smiled as he heard her footsteps approaching the barrier between them. His heartbeat quickened within his chest as he heard the lock click and the door-knob turn.

Lois flung open the door before him, a curious smile gracing her face. Her eyes locked onto Clark's and the warmth and contentment that had been there a moment ago, disappeared and her eyes chilled. She raised her eyebrows, and slammed the door in Clark's face.

The frame shook with the force in which Lois had slammed it. Clark stood, dumbfounded in front of the now closed door. His feet were rooted to the ground, his mouth agape. His heart had sunk to his stomach. Numb, he turned around and descended the stairs. A flash of blonde hair walking briskly towards _The Talon's_ busy counter caught his eye.

'Chloe!'  
>'Clark?' She greeted him with a smile. 'Uh… Just the usual, thanks.' She ordered with a quick nod before turning to him.<br>'Hey, I uh… Just came to see Lois.' He answered deflated. 'She, she just slammed the door on me.' Clark commented confused. Chloe frowned, puzzled and gasped as her eyes widened in realisation. Her hand smacked her forehead.  
>'Damn.' She muttered. 'I forgot to tell you that Lois is still pissed at you didn't I?' Clark gaped in response. He frowned.<br>'_What_?'  
>'Lois. You and Lois aren't… aren't <em>exactly<em> on the friendliest terms at… at the moment.' Chloe stammered awkwardly.  
>'<em>Why<em>?'  
>'What do you mean '<em>why'<em>? You were there!'  
>'No. Chloe, no I wasn't. Lois and I don't do that. We don't stop speaking. We fight it out, get over it and move on. We don't stop talking. We don't stop seeing each other.' Clark protested heatedly. Chloe's face scrunched confusedly before her mouth fell open.<br>'_Bizarro_.' She whispered.  
>'What?'<br>'_Bizarro_. Lois must've run into Bizarro.' Chloe answered slowly.

Clark clenched his jaw. _Great_.  
>'When?'<br>'When what?'  
>'<em>When<em> did Lois run into Bizarro?' Clark repeated through gritted teeth. Chloe sighed distractedly.  
>'Um… About a month ago… Maybe more?'<br>'Chloe!'  
>'What? Clark I don't remember! All I know is that Lois went out to the Farm <em>ages<em> ago - to see Shelby – and…'  
>'Wait, what?' Clark interrupted as Chloe dropped into an empty chair. He took the chair across from her. 'Lois came out to the Farm to see Shelby?' Chloe nodded.<br>'Yeah.' She answered, amused by the confused look on Clark's face. 'Come on Clark,' Chloe said, rolling her eyes with a smile. 'Who is the one person – apart from you - who can make that canine of yours practically _cartwheel_ off of the front-porch the second she pulls into the drive?'  
>'Lois.'<br>'_Exactly_.' She said softly. 'So, whenever she can; Lois heads out to Farm to take Shelby for a run… Sometimes just to play with him.'  
>'I didn't think she liked him all that much.'<br>'Well, you've obviously missed a few memos. Shelby is Lois' favourite four-legged running-buddy. Has been for a while.' Clark sighed, feeling strangely disappointed that he had never known this.

'So what happened?' He asked wearily. Unsure of whether or not he actually wanted an answer.  
>'I'm not totally sure… Lois didn't exactly go into detail. All I know is that she'd had a really horrible day and just wanted to spend the afternoon with her boy, Shelby.' Clark nodded as Chloe explained, sipping her large coffee.<br>'So that's when she must've met Bizarro.' Chloe nodded.  
>'I guess. Because when I got home that night she was pretty upset. Whatever <em>he<em> said – it was bad enough to make her not want to speak to _you_…'  
>'Great.' He muttered. 'Is there anything in my life Bizarro didn't screw up?' Clark sighed. 'Besides you and me.' He offered quickly with a small smile. Chloe held up her hand with a sympathetic smile.<br>'Hey, I'm sorry. I know how awful he was. He _was_ a monster. And the worst part was – that he looked _exactly_ like my best-friend! There was a moment there, where I wasn't a hundred per-cent sure that he wasn't you!'  
>'But you <em>did<em> know.'  
>'Well, if it's any consolation – I think Lois knew as well.'<br>'What? How?'  
>'I don't know.' Chloe answered softly shaking her head. 'All she told me was that she didn't think you were yourself… And that she didn't want to be around that version of you.' Clark nodded bitterly.<br>'That explains the door-in-the-face I just got.'  
>'Just… Give her some time. You said it yourself – you and Lois always find a way to work through whatever gets thrown at you. You guys always move through it. You just need to hang onto that.' Clark nodded, smiling faintly as Chloe squeezed his shoulder affectionately as she walked past him and up the stairs towards the apartment she shared with Lois. Feeling dejected, Clark sighed and trudged out the glass doors of <em>The Talon<em>, heading for the Farm.

Lois groaned as the early morning sunlight slithered through the dark clouds that hovered over Smallville, splaying through her window, blinding her. She rolled over, in an attempt to bury herself further beneath her blankets. She let out a cry as she landed with a _thud_ - in a heap on the floor. Sleepily she poked her head out of her bedroom, scanning the apartment for her cousin – it appeared that Chloe had already left for _The Planet_. Lois smiled, heading for the unoccupied shower. Emerging an hour later, she towelled her hair lazily, dragging her brush through her light-brown locks. She was looking forward to her day off. With a grin she skipped out her door and down the stairs into the depths of _The Talon_'s morning rush.

A few minutes later she jogged up the stairs, her breakfast in hand, away from the still crowded coffee –shop. She settled comfortably into the cushions of the couch, frowning at the pile of DVDs that scattered her coffee-table. The only problem with having a day of freedom – was not knowing exactly _what_ _to_ _do_ with all the freedom.

A sharp knock pulled her from her thoughts. Lois bounded towards the door, flinging it open optimistically. She paused confusedly.  
>'Shelby?'<p>

The friendly honey-coloured ball-of-fur barked excitedly and sprung through Lois' front-door. She laughed as he skidded across the floor towards her. She hugged him to her.  
>'Hey buddy!' Lois cried as she petted his ears affectionately. 'I missed you.' She said quietly as he licked the side of her face gleefully. 'Erk. Okay, I did <em>not<em> miss you that much!' She laughed, ruffling his fur playfully. 'How did you get here anyways?' She muttered, seemingly oblivious to the large figure, leaning casually against her door-frame.

'You just gonna stand there, Smallville?' Lois asked quietly, her eyes never leaving Shelby. She heard him shuffle awkwardly into the apartment as she turned to look at him.  
>'Hi.' He started.<br>'Hey.'  
>'You know, uh… I didn't think you liked Shelby all that much.'<br>'He's our dog, Smallville. We love our dog.' Lois replied rolling her eyes at him.  
>'Even if he makes you sneeze?'<br>'Yeah, even then.' She answered with a sheepish grin as Shelby rested his head in her lap.

'So I'm assuming you're using Shelby here as means of grovelling?'  
>'Yeah…' Clark nodded with a grin. 'Is it working?' He asked as Lois chuckled. She glanced at him through her lashes.<br>'We'll see.' Clark smiled to himself. At least she was talking to him. He wandered into the kitchen, pouring himself a cup of coffee as Lois leant back against the couch from her spot on the floor – Shelby's head still in her lap.  
>'You wanna refill?'<br>'You even need to ask?' She quipped, throwing a grin in his direction. Clark shook his head.  
>'No. I know you. You can barely function on three coffees.'<br>'I know you too.' Lois said quietly. So quietly that Clark wouldn't have been able to hear her without his enhanced hearing. Clark felt a sadness rush through his stomach. She did know him. Maybe better than anyone. And she didn't even know his secret… He wasn't sure that her knowing would actually make the Bizarro situation any better. Make it any less complicated. It hadn't had that effect with anyone else.

'I'm really sorry.'  
>'<em>What<em>?' Lois whispered, shocked. She turned to look at him as he sunk to the floor beside her. How many times had they sat like this? He wondered. Watching movies, playing video-games… Talking, laughing, bickering, badgering and teasing. Comfortable.

Did they still have that?

'I'm… I'm really sorry. For – for whatever it was that I _said_ or… Or _did_… That – that made you not want to see me. That… that made you stay away…'  
>'You really should get that amnesia of yours checked out.'<br>'Lois – I…'  
>'<em>Relax<em>, Smallville. Its fine.'  
>'It's not fine.' Clark replied bitterly.<p>

Lois sighed. He wasn't going to let it go. Her eyes met his deep, warm pools of blue-green. She knew those eyes. She could see the confusion in his irises. He really didn't remember. She hadn't expected him to. The Clark she had run into so many weeks ago – wasn't _this_ Clark. He wasn't her Smallville.

'It was like you weren't you…' Lois said quietly. Clark's head snapped in her direction. His eyes widened.  
>'What do you mean?' He pressed desperately.<br>'You weren't you. I mean… It seemed _so_ much like you… But then – It wasn't _you_.'  
>'<em>How<em> did you know?' He asked as his heart beat so loudly within his chest that he was sure that she could hear it. 'Lois, how?'  
>'God, Smallville, I don't know! It was a bunch of little things!' She said exasperated, trying to find the words to explain. He stared at her pleadingly.<br>'Like what?'  
>'Smallville.' Lois warned, glaring at him over her coffee-mug. He sighed. Lois glanced at him. He looked defeated, absentmindedly petting Shelby, who had shifted to lie between them.<br>'Well, that – for one.' Lois quipped pointing at Clark and Shelby. He glanced at her puzzled. 'Shelby wouldn't go near you.'  
>'Really?'<br>'Yeah. Imagine that, Clarkie?' She chuckled softly as Shelby yawned. Clark rolled his eyes. 'And _that_.'  
>'What?'<br>'You roll your eyes whenever I call you 'Clarkie'. _Everytime_.'  
>'I do?'<br>'Yeah…' Lois chuckled.  
>'That's all it was? How I reacted?' He asked in disbelief. How had everybody else missed that? Lois nodded. 'That's why you stayed away?' She nodded again.<br>'_That_ and you told me to…'

'What?'  
>'The day I went out the Farm, I was having a <em>seriously<em> bad day and I _just_ wanted to hang with Shelby for a while and I ran into you – _that_ you – and you were acting weird. Weird, the way you were back at the Luthor Mansion, months ago… And _then_, you told me that I should stay away from the Farm for a while. You said that you and Lana needed some time together and that I wasn't welcome to just drop by whenever I wanted to take Shelby for a run because I didn't live there anymore…' Lois explained hurriedly, awkwardly. 'And I get it, Clark, you and Lana needing the whole "honeymoon-period" or whatever. I do… I _just_… I just never thought that you would turn your back on everyone, the second Lana snapped her fingers.' Clark frowned, opening his mouth in protest. Lois held up her hand silencing him. 'And then I realised that _you_ - _wouldn't_. You're not that guy. So I just decided to stay away… Until _you_ came back.'

Clark stared at her in astonishment. He felt the anguish building in his stomach. He wasn't that guy. He would never be that guy.  
>'Lois, I would never cut you out. I would never do that. Not to you.'<br>'I know.' She nodded with a sigh. 'I was just having a bad day and running into you like that was just the icing on top of my crap-cake.'  
>'I'm sorry.' He offered weakly. Not knowing what else to say.<br>'Smallville, I know.'  
>'You are always welcome out at the Farm. <em>Always<em>… Whenever! It's… It's always gonna be your home too.'  
>'Thanks.' Lois said softly as silence descended around them. Lois' revelation registered in Clark's mind. One conversation and she'd known that The Phantom wasn't Clark. She did know him. Better than anyone. But somehow, he'd always known that.<p>

'So, were you planning on watching any of these?' He asked, cutting through the silence, gesturing at the pile of DVDs that still covered the coffee-table before them.  
>'I uh… I couldn't pick.' Lois admitted with a smile as she scrambled to her feet. 'You can… If you wanna hang for a bit? I mean, it's started pouring out…' She added, craning her neck to glance out the window of the tiny kitchenette window from her position in front of the kitchen cup-boards. Clark nodded eagerly, before adding casually:<br>'I uh… I got all day.'  
>'Me too.'<p>

Clark grinned at her as she sauntered around the kitchen, Shelby at her heels.  
>'Smallville! Hurry up and pick something, of you'll be out on your ass!' His smile widened – if that was possible as he busied himself with the pile of DVDs. Moments later, Lois collapsed into the folds of the couch, settling between Clark and Shelby with a large bowl of popcorn nestled in her lap.<br>'Come on, Smallville!' She whispered impatiently, rolling her eyes. Clark grinned.

They still had it.


End file.
